smoked salmon.jpgOn November 23, 2011, the FDA announced that King & Prince Seafood of Brunswick, Georgia, was voluntarily recalling a number of products due to the “potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.” The recalled products are: Nova Style Cold Smoked Salmon and Sable Fish Lox, Salmon Sushi Fillets, and Salmon Trim. 

The FDA syas that Listeria:

can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

At this time, there are not reports of illnesses related to the recalled products. 

The products were distributed nationwide beginning on October 4.  According to the FDA, “All Nova Style, pre-sliced, cold smoked products, sushi fillets, and salmon trims are packed in vacuum pouches and distributed frozen.”

Customers with concerns have been instructed to call:  1-800-632-5464

King & Prince Seafood Corp. of Brunswick, GA, is initiating a voluntary recall of Nova Style Cold Smoked Salmon and Sable Fish Lox, Salmon Sushi Fillets, and Salmon Trim because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.  Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.  Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.  

To date there have been no reports of illness in connection with this product being recalled.

The products were distributed nationwide through brokers and foodservice distributors during period starting on October 4th 2011.  All products are originally distributed frozen, but may be sold refrigerated at the retail level.

All Nova Style, pre-sliced, cold smoked products, sushi fillets, and salmon trims are packed in vacuum pouches and distributed frozen.

The recalled products are marked with one of the following production Date Codes and they are observed on the individual pouches and master cases: 1277W, 1278W, 1279W, 1280W, 1281W, 1283W, 1284W, 1285W, 1286W, 1287W, 1290W, 1291W, 1292W, 1293W, 1294W, 1297W, 1298W, 1299W, 1300W, 1303W, 1306W, 1311W, 1312W, 1313W, 1314W.

For customers who have any of the above products with these codes they should return the product where purchased for full refund.  Distributors should notify King & Prince Seafood of quantities they wish to return once their internal recall process has been completed.  

If the product was purchased from one of King & Prince Seafood’s Re-Distribution partners, product will need to be returned through that Re-Distributor.  Product purchased direct from King & Prince Seafood can be returned directly to King & Prince Seafood’s warehouse.

Screen Shot 2011-11-09 at 3.37.58 AM.pngGolden Glen Creamery of Bow, WA is voluntarily recalling Raw Cheddar because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

To date, no illnesses have been reported.

Approximately twenty (20) pounds of the Raw Cheddar was distributed through a very few, select retail stores in Washington State, as well as at Golden Glen’s on-farm store between September 22 and November 5 of this year. The packages range in size from ¼ to ½ pound pieces, and are random-weight cuts.

The product is vacuum packaged in clear plastic with a stick on label. The label reads in part: “Raw Cheddar,” “GOLDEN GLEN CREAMERY”and“Natural handcrafted cheese produced by the Jensen ladies.” The back of the product has a white sticker with the three-digit code “864.”

The Raw Cheddar is being voluntarily recalled by Golden Glen Creamery, and was a result of a surveillance sample collected and analyzed by the Washington State Department of Agriculture that was found to be positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

Screen Shot 2011-11-05 at 8.06.53 PM.pngThe number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows:

Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (2), Colorado (39), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (6), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Mexico (15), New York (2), North Dakota (2), Oklahoma (11), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Utah (1), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (4).

Twenty-nine deaths have been reported:

Colorado (8), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (2), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (1).

Among persons who died, ages range from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 81 years. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.

At 139 sickened – with 29 deaths – the Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak has moved into first place in the United States’ most deadly foodborne illness outbreaks.  The numbers of ill and dead are expected to increase in this recent Listeria Outbreak that has impacted 28 states.  Here are the top 2, not largest, but deadliest outbreaks in the U.S.:

1.  Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak

•          September 2011 – ONGOING

•          Vehicle: whole cantaloupe

•          Number ill: 139

•          Deaths: 29 (30, county miscarriages)

2.  Jalisco’s Listeria Outbreak

•          January 1985

•          Vehicle: cheese

•          Number ill: 142

•          Deaths: 28 (48, counting miscarriages)

As of November 1, 2011, a total of 139 persons infected with any of the four outbreak-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes have been reported to CDC from 28 states.  The number of infected persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), California (2), Colorado (39), Idaho (2), Illinois (3), Indiana (3), Iowa (1), Kansas (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (6), Montana (1), Nebraska (6), Nevada (1), New Mexico (15), New York (2), North Dakota (2), Oklahoma (11), Oregon (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Texas (18), Utah (1), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), Wisconsin (2), and Wyoming (4).

Screen Shot 2011-11-02 at 3.12.17 PM.png

Twenty-nine deaths have been reported: Colorado (8), Indiana (1), Kansas (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (1), Missouri (2), Nebraska (1), New Mexico (5), New York (2), Oklahoma (1), Texas (2), and Wyoming (1). Among persons who died, ages range from 48 to 96 years, with a median age of 81 years. In addition, one woman pregnant at the time of illness had a miscarriage.

The Listeria attorneys at Marler Clark, the nation’s foremost law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness and Dallas-based law firm Reyes Brown Reilley have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of a Dallas woman who died from a Listeria illness. This is the eighth lawsuit [1] filed by Marler Clark in a multi-state Listeria outbreak linked to Rocky Ford cantaloupe. The defendants in the lawsuit are Colorado-based cantaloupe producer Jensen Farms and Edinburg Texas-based distributor Frontera Produce.

According to complaint #DC11-13866 filed in Dallas County District Court, 89-year-old Marie Jones regularly purchased and consumed cantaloupe in the weeks prior to her illness. By the weekend of September 10, Ms. Jones developed signs of a Listeria infection, including a severe headache and gastrointestinal symptoms, which worsened over the ensuing days. Late on September 12, she was admitted to Baylor University Medical Center and transferred to the intensive care unit where it was determined that her illness was caused by a Listeria infection and was affecting her entire body. Over the next ten days Ms. Jones’ condition worsened until she ultimately succumbed to her illness on September 23. The complaint further states that the Dallas County Health Department confirmed the strain that caused Ms. Jones’ Listeria illness was the same as the one implicated in the multi-state Listeria outbreak linked to the defendants’ products.

“In this day and age, people should not be hospitalized or die because of something they ate,” said Marler Clark Listeria lawyer William Marler. “Food producers and distributors have a responsibility to consumers to sell food that is unadulterated and free of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria – no exceptions.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed 133 illnesses and 28 deaths in a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has been linked to Colorado-based Jensen Farms. In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used trace back investigations to link the farm to the outbreak, and on October 19 the connection was confirmed when the FDA released a report detailing unsanitary conditions and traces of Listeria at Jensen Farms’ cantaloupe packing facility.

MARLER CLARK is the nation’s leading law firm dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness. The firm’s food poisoning lawyers have unmatched experience and have recovered over $600,000,000 for their clients, including a 2011 $1.1 million Listeria judgment on behalf of the family of Texas man. For more information or, if you are a member of the media and would like a copy of the complaint, please contact Cody Moore at cmoore@marlerclark.com or 206-407-2200.

[1] Colorado El Paso County District Court # 2011CV5007; Colorado Arapahoe County District Court # 2011CV1891; Texas Brazoria County District Court #65009; Canadian County District Court #CJ-2011-709; U.S. District Court Maryland #1:11-CV-2810; Federal District Court Oklahoma #11-348SPS; Missouri District Court #4:11-cv-04280-FJG.

cantaloupe.jpgThe frightening news about the outbreak of listeria tied to cantaloupe from Jensen Farms and Frontera Produce continues to pour forth.   The latest count has 133 ill and 28 dead with one miscarriage.

In light of this, some food-safety tips directly on point from Dr. David Golden, Ph.D. of Food Microbiology at University of Tennessee is welcome.   Some of the salient points from Dr. Golden:

“Rinse it, blot it and cut it,” says Golden, referring to the steps of cleaning the cantaloupe. He also suggests avoiding the use of the same cutting board when cutting off the rind, or simply wash the cutting board before going to the next step after removing the rind.

Dr. Golden also re-iterated a point made here before – due to the long incubation period, the numbers of ill persons may continue to climb:  “We may continue to see ill effects of the contamination maybe even up through Christmas because of the slow onset that may occur.”

super poor boy.jpgThe FDA has announced that Landshire Inc, of St. Louis, Missouri, has expanded its recall of sandwiches due to possible listeria contamination.   The original recall applied to the company’s “Nike” sandwich.   In addition to a new recall of the “Nike Super Poor Boy,” additional dates of production for the regular “Nike” sandwich have been recalled.  

In total, 17,305 cases of sandwiches have been recalled.  The FDA list of products subject to recall:

  • Landshire Nike All- American
  • Landshire Nike Super Poor Boy

Production lot codes affected by the recall are from 11 237 6 through 11 285 6.

The numbers from 237 through 285 represent “Julian” dates, meaning production through the 285th day of 2011.   If I am doing my math right, this means production into October is being recalled.  Add to this that listeria can have an incubation period of up to 70 days, and it is clear that there is a risk of that illnesses may yet be connected to the recalled product. 

Let’s hope not, we have had enough listeria related tragedy.

nike sandwich.bmpOn October 20, 2011, the FDA announced the recall of “Nike All-American” sandwiches, produced by Landshire, Inc. The FDA states that the sandwiches were sold at retail stores nationwide. Lynne Terry of the Oregonian reports that they were distributed by Walmart.

The recalled product consisted of bologna, salami, ham and Swiss cheese and a bun. The FDA reports that the product tested positive for listeria.

Routine product sampling conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services on a sample of five sandwiches on Oct. 10 revealed the positive result.

To this point no illnesses have been reported. However, given that Listeria’s incubation period can stretch even beyond two months, we cannot be assured yet that no one will fall ill.

At 133 sickened with 28 deaths the Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak has moved nearly into first place in the United States’ most deadly foodborne illness outbreaks.  The numbers of ill and dead are expected to increase in this recent Listeria Outbreak that has impacted 26 states.  Here is a list of the top 5, not largest, but deadliest outbreaks in the U.S.:

1.  Jalisco’s Listeria Outbreak

•          January 1985

•          Vehicle: cheese

•          Number ill: 142

•          Deaths: 29

2.  Jensen Farms Frontera Listeria Outbreak

•          September 2011 – ONGOING

•          Vehicle: whole cantaloupe

•          Number ill: 133

•          Deaths: 28

3.  Bil Mar Foods Ready-to-eat Meats Listeria Outbreak

•          January 1998

•          Vehicle: deli and cured meats

•          Number ill: 101

•          Deaths: 21

4.  Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) Salmonella Outbreak

•          September 2008

•          Vehicle:  Peanuts and peanut butter

•          Number ill: 716

•          Deaths: 9

5.  Pilgrim’s Pride Listeria Outbreak

•          July 2002

•          Vehicle: deli meats

•          Number ill: 54

•          Deaths: 8